Conventionally, an apparatus/system that causes a vehicle to perform a requested operation in response to a remote operation request issued from a vehicle user is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
The apparatus/system disclosed in Patent Document 1 serves to allow vehicle operations such as the closing of the windows and the turning off of the hazard lamps to be performed via remote control by the user using a portable phone.
[Patent Document] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-102939
In the conventional apparatus/system disclosed in Patent Document 1 as described above, however, it is possible that the user may request a remote operation without sufficiently knowing the current condition of the vehicle, which may result in a remote operation being requested that is inappropriate in light of the current condition of the vehicle. Further, since the vehicle performs the requested operation without any check, an inappropriate remote operation, when requested, will be performed without exception.
In the following, specific examples will be described by referring to a case in which hazard lamps are turned off by remote control.
With the conventional apparatus/system as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a user is notified when the hazard lamps are on (flashing) even after the passage of a predetermined time following the turning off of the ignition switch. Having received this notice, the user may turn off the hazard lamps by remote control.
However, the situation under which the hazard lamps are left turned-on (flashing) with the ignition off is not limited to when the user has forgotten to switch them off after parking the vehicle. Such situation also includes 1) when the user kept them on (flashing) with the ignition off in order to alert other vehicles running nearby after the vehicle became incapable to run on the road such as on a driving lane, and 2) when another legitimate user is using the vehicle, and keeps the hazard lamps on (flashing) at the time of temporal parking.
Under the situation in which the hazard lamps are on (flashing) due to the reasons other than the user having forgotten to turn them off, a user who is unaware of such situation at a remote site may turn off the hazard lamps by remote control. If this happens, the case 1) described above results in a failure to alert other vehicles running nearby, and the case 2) described above results in an operation being performed that is not intended by the user who is currently using the vehicle.
In this manner, the conventional apparatus/system as described in Patent Document 1 may create a situation in which the user performs an inappropriate remote operation without being sufficiently aware of the current condition of the vehicle. In particular, hazard lamps are vital equipment (security part) that is directly related to the safety of a vehicle. A decision as to whether to turn off the hazard lamps should thus be made with caution.
Accordingly, there is a need for a vehicle remote control apparatus and method that can prevent an inappropriate remote operation from being performed in light of the current condition of the vehicle.